Drifting
by CatzChaos
Summary: Something's wrong with Toby, can they help him in time?    Please review... I'd love to hear what you think of my writings.
1. Chapter 1

The sunlight reflected the side mirror as Oz adjusted it slightly. Checking to make sure he could see properly behind him he waited for Toby to get into the rig.

"I really hate it when Ryder moves this mirror!" he said looking into the other side mirror to make sure it was adjusted correctly. "Why can't he put it back when he's done."

"Come on Oz, he doesn't get to drive the rig that much anymore." Toby buckled his seatbelt smiling.

"I guess, but really? Does he have to mess with MY rig?" Oz turned out into the opening of traffic as they began their shift.

It had been a slow day for them; several minor calls with a few tramas brought them back to the ER. Both enjoyed visiting with Olivia and Sandy while there. Simple days always seemed few and far between for the pair.

"So, you know," Oz began, "that bartender at the Lincoln was hot. I bet she was into me." Oz paused slightly, not allowing Toby to respond. "It's got to be the power of the Turkish. We attract some really gorgeous women!"

As Oz rambled on about how he was the best thing since sliced bread, Toby starred out the window only slightly listening to his friend. His thoughts began to wander, always leading back to his memories of his mother. He still could only remember a few fragments of his past.

"Hey, Toby!" Oz said abruptly, "you with me man?"

"Yeah, sorry." The sun seemed brighter than usual today. "I heard you. You said that you were sure she was flirting with you."

"Well, she was. I know flirting when I see it, and that was definitely flirting. She was about to give me her number when you said we were ready to take that drunk in for stitches."

A voice came over the radio requesting them to assist with a possible heart attack. Retrieving the information from the dispatcher, Oz hit the sirens and headed for the call.

The sunlight became unbearable for Toby. Closing his eyes only helped the growing burn under his eyelids slightly.

"You okay man?" Oz questioned his partner.

"Yeah, sun's just bright today." Toby responded holding his hands in front of his face to help shield his eyes from the sun. He couldn't believe how bright it was.

"Dude, the sun's behind us." Oz looked at his friend. "You sure you're okay?"

Lowering his hands, Toby looked at Oz. He could see his friend only slightly. He tried to refocus attempting to see him clearly. He turned his focus in to Oz's mind, trying to hear his friend's thoughts. To his disappointment he heard nothing. He heard nothing around him. For a moment the world was quiet in his mind. No voices, no one calling out for help, no one laughing, no one contemplating their self-worth, nothing.

Oz found a place to pull the rig over. Picking up the radio he notified the dispatcher of the impending situation, they would no longer be able to answer the call they were on.

"Toby?" Oz unbuckled his belt as he turned to face Toby. "Come on, man. What's going on?" He watched his friend's face flush with blood. Placing his fingers on his friend's neck he found his friend's pulse to be racing. "Toby!" With no response from his new patient, he started checking him over.

As quickly as it started, it was gone. The quiet turned into whispers in Toby's head. He could hear voices again. He struggled to tune them out, but failed. He knew something was wrong. The light became bright once again in front of him. As the light got brighter the voices became louder.

"Come on Toby! Answer me!" pushing at Toby's shoulder he received no response. Toby sat staring at nothing, his face began to return to his normal color. Oz smiled slightly, hoping that what he thought was a seizure was over. "Look at me Toby."

Toby could finally hear Oz talking to him. Tilting his head upward he managed to raise his eyes slightly. He could see the worry in his friend's face as a wave of bright light overcame him once again. His face went pale.

As soon as his face went pale Oz radioed the dispatcher advising her that he was bringing in a new patient. Toby seemed to be looking at nothing. There was no response from him. It was time to get him in to find out what was wrong.

As he rounded another turn he saw Toby slump in the seat. His head hit the window with a slight thud.

"Crap!" he exclaimed. _Come on Toby, I know you can hear me. _

It seemed like eternity to Oz to get to the ambulance bay at the ER entrance. Automatically, he shut the siren off and shut down the rig. Jumping out the door he rounded the rig to Toby's door. As he was opening it, Olivia rushed to them along with two men and a gurney.

"What happened Oz?" She questioned him.

"I don't know. He just collapsed."

Quickly the group got him into the ER to be examined.


	2. Chapter 2

Oz paced the hallway waiting impatiently for news of Toby's condition. It had been over an hour since he'd brought his friend in to the ER. Olivia and several other doctors were running tests trying to figure out what was wrong with Toby.

Oz wasn't paying attention to his surroundings as he turned and almost ran down Sandy. She had exited the room to update him on the progress.

"What happened to him?" he jumped at her. "How is he?"

"Oz," she started, "calm down. We're still not sure. I came out to let you know they're still working on him. Olivia is going to send him upstairs for an MRI. She's thinking it may have to do with something she saw on another MRI she took a while ago."

Peering in the window, he could see several people around Toby's gurney preparing him to be moved. Grabbing his head with his hands, he turned to face Sandy.

"He's not gonna die is he?"

"Come on Oz, don't talk like that." Sandy moved closer to him. She knew they were more than just partners, they were best friends. "We don't even know what really happened. He's stable, just unresponsive. His stats are good. We'll figure it out." She placed her hand on his shoulder gently.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's just exhausted or something simple like that," Oz knew he was lying to himself, but tried to be positive.

"Come on," she grabbed his elbow pulling him away from the doors. "Let's get you some coffee." She led him toward a waiting area. Finding a chair, he sat down with his elbows resting on his knees. Bowing his head in frustration he rubbed his head to try to relieve the building tension inside.

"Here," Sandy handed Oz a cup of coffee she had purchased from a vending machine in the room. Rubbing his back, she did her best not to worry him any more than he already was.

"Thanks," he paused, "this is just not right. He's the hero, not the victim." Taking a drink of the coffee, he tried not to worry about his friend.

After a few minutes, Oz had finished his coffee and sat back, trying to relax.

"Look, Oz," Sandy stood up, "I'm going to stay with him and if anything changes I'll make sure you know right away."

"Thanks," Oz nodded slightly.

By this time Toby had been prepared to be taken upstairs for the MRI. Sandy opened the door of the room to let everyone out. She followed Toby down the corridor.

Walking briskly, Michelle McCluskey passed Toby's gurney followed by Sandy. She and Dev did a double take seeing him. Abruptly she stopped, causing Dev to almost run her over.

"Wha'?" She said confused grabbing Dev's shoulders to stop his momentum. "Was that Toby?"

Oz was already in the corridor watching his friend roll down the hall, not knowing what the outcome would be. Seeing Michelle and Dev, he walked over to them.

"Was that Toby?" Michelle asked him turning back to watch the gurney turn the corner.

"Yeah, it's Toby," he said shaking his head.

"What happened?" she asked as Dev stood by her looking back at the now empty corridor. "Is he ok?"

"He collapsed in the rig. They don't know what happened yet. They're taking him for an MRI. Olivia thinks they might find something there." Oz couldn't believe his friend was this sick. He was used to the sudden migraines with Toby as well as the absent looks he got when Toby was reading someone's thoughts. Those things were nothing compared to dealing with this.


	3. Chapter 3

Seeing Toby's friends in the hallway, Olivia headed out the room to update them. Even though she had nothing new to tell them, the doctor in her sent her out to them.

"Olivia?" Oz jumped at her.

"We don't know still. I'm hoping the MRI will tell us something." She felt uncomfortable having to explain this to her own friends. When it is strangers it always seemed a little easier.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Michelle moved forward slightly with her worry. "How could he just collapse? Something must have caused this." The group could feel her concern for Toby.

"Look, I'll tell ya when I know something," Olivia said calmingly. "Until then, we just keep running tests. We'll figure it out." Reassuringly she said, realizing she was trying to reassure herself, not just the rest of the group. She turned and headed down the hall. "I'll keep you informed. I have to get back to the ER."

As she turned the corner, Ryder passed her looking for Toby's partner. When Oz saw him he took a deep breath in to help avoiding an emotional overload.

"Mr. Bay, what's this about Mr. Logan?"

"He collapsed in the rig, we don't know why." By now Oz had repeated himself several times and was tired of repeating the same thing, however he repeated it again. He'd rather be able to tell people that Toby was fine and there was nothing wrong with him.

"Well, while Mr. Logan is incapacitated, Mr. Bishop will be riding with you." Ryder turned to face Michelle. "I hope Mr. Bay isn't bothering you?"

"Not at all," she paused, confused why he would think that.

"Really? Bishop?" Oz interrupted, "You're kidding! You want me back out there?"

"There is nothing you can do for Toby right now," Michelle placed her hand on his shoulder. "Oz, you need to get back to work. You know Dr. Fawcett will call you as soon as she knows something." Michelle stepped back toward Dev, the new facts from the day were finally sinking in. Turning, she walked to the chairs Oz had returned from only moments before. Dev followed quietly.

Sitting on the chairs, Dev could tell his friend was upset about Toby falling ill.

"I'm sure they'll figure it out," Dev reassured her.

"Look Mr. Bay, I expect you back in the rig in ten minutes with Mr. Bishop." Ryder demanded walking away.

Oz walked to where Michelle was sitting. His frustration apparent.

"I can't believe this," he exclaimed. "I'll never be able to concentrate out in the field."

"Don't worry Oz, I'll make sure you know something as soon as the rest of us," Michelle reassured him. "We'll be here for a while, we still have to question someone who is in ICU." Focusing on work was not what she wanted to do either, but knew she needed to keep busy as to not worry.

"Hey," Dev interjected, "could this have anything to do with his telepathy?"

"It could be," Oz answered, "we just don't know."

It had been a few hours since Toby had arrived as a patient in the hospital. Ryder had sent Oz back out to work with another paramedic but Oz could not concentrate very well knowing his friend had fallen ill and there was still no known cause at this time. Returning to the hospital with a new patient, he searched for Olivia.

He knew he would find her in the ER caring for new patients, he was correct. Walking briskly toward her, he had hoped that her being in the ER meant that Toby was better.

"Hey Oz," she knew what he was going to ask, "we still don't know." She continued looking at the chart in her hands. "We've admitted him and he's in a room up on the fourth."

"Thanks Olivia," he headed up to see his friend not knowing what to expect.

Would Toby ever wake up? Why hadn't they figured out what was wrong with him? There were so many unanswered questions racing through his head as he made his way to Toby's room. What caused this? Was this due to his telepathy?


	4. Chapter 4

The racing thoughts continues as he reached Toby's floor. After asking an on-duty nurse which room he was in, he headed to the room.

He knew what to expect. This was nothing new to him. He knew Toby would have tubes and wires, but he paused as he opened the door and saw Toby laying in the bed. Taking a deep breath he walked to Toby's bedside. He was so focused on his friend that he almost didn't notice the woman looking out the window.

"Hey," he began, "I'm sorry if I interrupted." He watched her turn to face him.

Her strawberry blonde hair shined in the sunlight. She smiled slightly as she looked at him.

"You weren't interrupting. I was just looking out the window." She reassured him walking to the opposite side of the bed. "I'm Rachel"

"Oz, I'm Toby's partner," he stammered. "I mean we work together." He always felt nervous around women that he felt were attractive.

"I know what you meant," the gentle smile on her face was relaxing to Oz.

"You're a friend of Toby's?" Oz asked as he looked at all the monitors. It was reassuring to him that Toby was not alone.

"Yeah, ah," she paused, "we recently met."

"I just talked to Olivia, Dr. Fawcett, they still don't know the cause of this." He explained looking at Toby. "Come on Toby, what's going on?" He said quietly to his friend. He knew not to expect any form of response.

Toby lay quietly, looking as though he was in a deep sleep.

"It's eerie," Rachel paused, "he's just laying there. Don't you expect him to just wake up and tell you he's fine?"

"I was just thinking about that," Oz responded scrunching his eyebrows. _Great! Now she's reading my mind! _ He watched her closely.

Rachel walked toward the foot of the bed. "You've known Toby for some time now, right?"

"Oh, yeah! We were in training together so it's been several years now, why?"

"Just wondering." She looked back out the window. "You ever think about when yo meet someone, how that one person can affect your life a year down the line?"

"No, not really," Oz paused, "but come to think of it, I can see how one person can have an affect on many things." He recalled how Toby seemed to have an affect on so many people. Even over the last couple years Toby had helped so many people. It was amazing to think how one person could affect so many people.

"You know, I think it takes a special person to do what you guys do." Sitting on the chair next to Toby's bed, she continued. "To be a paramedic or firefighter and a police officer, that takes a special kind of person. I can't imagine the times all of you put your lives on the line for a total stranger. That's so admirable."

"Thanks," Oz grinned. "It's actually kinda fun most of the time. Well, at least when I'm working with my partner, not some of the other guys though." Oz turned to face Toby. "Man, you need to get better and get back to work. Ryder's got me riding with Bishop! He's nuts! Everything is by the numbers with him! Toby you got to get better!" Oz was getting worked up, the days' events were catching up to him.

"Do you think he can hear you?" Rachel said softly.

Stepping back for a moment, Oz thought about that. Could Toby hear him? Could he hear his thoughts? Did he know his friends were worried about him? Did he know what happened to him?

"I don't know," he said as calmly as he could.

The room fell silent, the only noise for a few moments was the hum of the machines in the room.

_I wonder how well she really knows Toby? Does she know he can read minds? _Oz thought.

The opening of the door broke the silence. It was Bishop.

"Oz," he started, "the rig's all set. We need to get back to work." Stepping into the room he closed the door gently behind himself. "How's he doing?"

"The same," Oz replied. He looked at Rachel. "Guess I gotta get back to work." He placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'll be back after my shift man."

"It was nice to meet you Oz," Rachel said to him as he headed to the door.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too," Oz replied. He knew he had only a couple hours left on his shift. Then he would be back to check on Toby. He hoped by then they would have some answers. He preferred that this were all a dream and things would go back to normal.


	5. Chapter 5

The light was almost blinding to Toby. Trying to focus on his surroundings he found a face to focus on. The boy looked to be about five years old. The boy sat cross-legged on the sidewalk, looking at the ground. As his surroundings became clearer he tried to remember what happened.

Toby turned around looking for something familiar. He didn't recognize any buildings. People walked past him, most looked like they were headed to work. Feeling groggy and confused he tried to stop a man walking toward him.

"Excuse me," he tried to get the man's attention. "Excuse me!" Toby got a little louder as the man passed him. "Fine, ignore me."

He tried listening to the man's thoughts but heard nothing. He knew he couldn't read everyone. He continued trying to find out where he was.

"Excuse me," he said to another man with a black hat and cane. Toby thought the man looked like he would help him out. To his disappointment, he walked past Toby as well.

_Great! I'm surrounded by rude people. _

Toby squatted in front of the boy. He was still focused on the ground. His red hair glistened in the light. Toby could see the tears running down the boys cheeks.

"Hey," he said softly, "you ok?" Toby had a gentle side that came out at the right times. He waited for a response.

Nothing. The boy continued to look at the ground. _Maybe he can't hear me. _Toby waved his hand at the area the boy was looking at, anticipating a reaction. There was still no response from the boy.

Toby stood up and looked around again. This was definately not a place he was familiar with. He looked for a street sign, business names, anything that could help him get his bearings. It was then that he realized that there were none.

Jumping in front of a woman, he'd hoped for a response from her. There was none. No one even looked at him.

Frustration had set in and he yelled at the top of his lungs. Waving his arms he yelled until he couldn't yell any longer. People still walked past him, not looking at him, not responding in any way to his actions.

After several minutes he regained his composure. He had to figure out where he was and what was going on. He headed to what looked to be a coffee shop.

Opening the door to the shop he expected to see people in the shop, the smell of coffee and the swoosh of the cappachino machine. He was shocked to see none of that.

_Oh crap! What is going on? Where am I? _He thought as he looked back to the street. People still passed him, not acknowledging him, not even looking at him.

He tried once again to get into someone's mind. He chose the boy he'd seen several minutes before. He headed back to where the boy was sitting. _Good. He's still here. _ Concentrating he tried to hear the boy's thoughts. It was silent in his head. He tried several more times with people that passed him.

He had finally accepted his gift and started to embrace it. He'd used telepathy to do good and help people, now it was gone. He stood looking around in the silence of his own thoughts. _Man, this will take some getting used to. _He thought as he searched for someone he could recognize. He still thought he could find someone he knew. He knew he'd never been here before.

As he searched for a familiar face, any familiar face, he noticed the noises around him. He was in a city, but it was so quiet for a city. It didn't feel right to him. He could hear the people talking around him, nothing really loud, no one yelling. He still couldn't understand why people were ignoring him. It was as if they couldn't see him.

He walked on for what felt like hours, walking the same never-ending street. It was then that he realized that there were no cars, to busses, no vehicles of any kind. The buildings became blurry as he tried to focus more on his surroundings. He could still see them, just not clearly.

_What the? What's wrong with me? Am I dead? _

Toby stood still, listening once again. This time he could hear what the people around him were saying.

The woman walking past with the short blonde hair spoke of someone named Frank. Then the black man standing by the lamp post, spoke softly saying "I will love you forever" to no one around him.

Toby felt more confused the longer he listened. Once again he tried to get someone's attention. It almost seemed pointless, but he knew someone would listen to him, eventually.


	6. Chapter 6

The work day seemed to last longer than a regular day for Olivia. Her mind drifted back to thoughts of Toby while she cared for her patients. She knew there was nothing she could do for him, but wanted to be near him nonetheless.

Leaving the ER for a short time, she made her way through the corridors of the hospital. She stopped several times as nurses and other hospital employees asked about Toby. He was well liked in the hospital.

As she reached the elevator, she her the page for her to return to the ER. She had hoped that she would have just a few minutes to go see him. Just to see if there was any change. She knew inside that there hadn't been any changes in his condition since no one had contacted her. She had talked to the neurologist and the team of nurses caring for him throughout the day. She made sure that they knew they were to notify her if there were any changes in his condition.

Feeling frustrated she headed back to the emergency room. She knew she would have the chance to head up to his room to see him, she had just wanted to go there now.

Turning a corner of a hallway, she stopped as soon as she saw Sgt. McCluskey walking toward her.

"Any news about Toby?" Michelle asked as she approached the doctor.

"No, nothing new. I was headed up to see him, but got called to the ER instead. I have to go." Olivia felt slightly jealous that Michelle was there to see him. She still cared for Toby in ways she could not describe. Walking quickly past her she headed back to the ER.

Michelle continued her way up to Toby's room. She had finally finished work and worried that he would be alone most of the time, she wanted to keep him company. Her day had felt like it lingered longer than most. She and Dev had finally closed a case they had been working on for several days.

Passing people in the halls she thought to herself about when she met Toby. How she was shocked to learn about his telepathy yet intrigued. Toby had brought a new twist to her job.

As she approached the door to Toby's room, Rachel exited, almost bumping into Michelle.

"I'm sorry," Rachel said as Michelle stepped back.

"That's ok." Michelle wasn't sure who she was. Standing with the door open, she watched as Rachel walked away from the room and down the hallway. The dark from the outside crept into the room. Only one light was on behind Toby's bed.

Walking to his bedside she tilted her head slightly wondering what she could do to help. She knew she could do nothing medically as she was not trained for that. The only thing she could do was be there for him.

Standing next to him, she picked up his hand gently. He lay still on the bed, looking as though he was sleeping.

"Toby," she said lightly, "what is going on?" She was unsure of what to say to him. Could he hear her anyway? Thoughts raced through her head. Could he hear her thoughts?

After standing by his bedside for a couple minutes, she decided to sit on the chair on the opposite side of the bed. Walking around the bed she thought she heard someone talking to her. She couldn't make out the words, but it sounded like a male voice. Instinctively, she looked at Toby.

"Toby? Was that you?" she waited for a response. There was none. He lay in the same position as he had the whole day, connected to wires and an IV. Shaking her head slightly, she sat next to him.

"Fine, if you're not going to talk then you can listen," pausing she smiled at herself, "Yeah, I know, you always listen."

Michelle continued telling Toby about the case she and Dev had just closed. She spoke about the intricacies of how they solved it. How they found the guilty party. It was a simple case of embezzlement and murder.

Once she finished her story to Toby Michelle sat quietly watching his chest rise and fall with each breath he took. For her being in the hospital was nothing new. She'd questioned numerous people there. This time however, she had a friend who she worried about.

Michelle looked up at the door as it opened slowly. The young woman she'd passed while entering his room had returned. That is when she realized she had been there for over an hour.

"You a friend of Toby's?" Michelle asked standing up.

"I'm Rachel," she said walking closer to Toby.

"Michelle," pausing as she looked over this young lady. "You were here earlier, right?"

"Yes, I've been keeping Toby company today." Rachel could tell that Michelle was wondering about her. "You work with him as well, don't you?"

"He helps me out sometimes, how do you know him?" Michelle was curious. She's never heard about Rachel. She walked to the other side of the bed, closer to Rachel, watching her closely.

"Oh, we recently met here in the hospital. Would you like me to leave so you can be alone?" she paused stepping back toward the door. "I don't mind. I can come back later."

"No, I have to leave anyway. I'm glad someone will be here though." Michelle still wasn't sure about this new person. She felt very uneasy with her. She knew she needed to follow her gut feeling more often, she wasn't sure what her gut was telling her this time.

"I'll be here for a while. Don't worry. I know they will notify you if there's any change." Rachel watched as Michelle stopped by the door.

"Nice to meet you Rachel," she said placing her hand on the knob, "thank you for staying with him." Michelle didn't wait for a response, she exited the door and headed down the hall. She met up with Dev who had been talking with some nurses on the first floor.

"Hey, how's he doing?" Dev asked.

"No changes. Let's go." She abruptly walked out the emergency bay doors.

Dev followed her lead, wondering what she was upset about.


	7. Chapter 7

After a restless night's sleep, Oz cleaned up and headed to the hospital. He hadn't heard anything about Toby since last night, which to him meant there was nothing new. Even knowing this he still needed to go see his friend just to make sure.

As he approached the nurse's station on Toby's floor, Oz could see that the nurses were keeping busy with their tasks. A male nurse headed in his direction.

"Hey, Oz," Adam said, "how ya doin' this morning?"

"Tired man," Oz stopped. "Any changes in Toby?"

"Naw, sorry man. Nothing new." Adam faced the quiet waiting room. "Who's she? She's been here all night. The night nurse said she wouldn't leave, so they let her stay in there."

Glancing into the room, Oz could see Rachel lying asleep on a couch. She was covered with a hospital blanket.

"Oh, that's a friend of Toby's." Oz headed toward the room. "Thanks man."

Opening the door gently, Oz entered the room. Walking into the room, he went to the couch where Rachel slept.

"Hey," he said gently touching her shoulder.

Without warning Rachel jumped up, startling Oz. Losing his footing, he almost tripped on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Sorry Oz," Rachel said quietly realizing what was going on. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," he smiled, brushing it off even though he still felt the adrenalin run though his system. "I wasn't trying to scare you."

"I know, I just didn't hear you." Sitting up, she started to fold the blanket. "Have you seen Toby this morning? It is morning isn't it?"

"No I haven't and yes it is morning." He said sitting next to her, he went to place his hand the side of her shoulder. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," looking away from him she pulled herself away from his hand and stood up. "Can I go see Toby now?"

"Yeah, sure." Oz stood watching her slender figure move toward the door of the room.

Leaving the room, Oz followed her to Toby's room. As they entered, they saw Olivia sleeping in the chair by the bed. She too, was covered in a blanket. She was still in the clothes from the day before. She moved around in the chair hearing them walk in. Opening her eyes, she saw Oz standing at the foot of Toby's bed.

"Hey Oz," she pulled the blanket off herself.

"Liv, you look exhausted," he had seen her tired, but this was a point that he'd never seen before. "Really, Liv, you look like you haven't slept at all. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah Oz, just a little tired," standing up she placed the blanket on the chair. "There's no change in Toby. Are you going to be here with him for a while?" She then noticed Rachel moving closer to the bed where Toby lay. "Rachel, right?"

"Yep," she nodded.

"Did you stay here all night?" Olivia questioned. She already knew the answer, she had seen Rachel in the quiet room a few hours before.

"Yes," Rachel sighed.

"Well, I'm gonna go shower and eat. I'll be back later." Olivia said walking out the door.

"Ok, man," Oz started as he walked around the bed. "The jig is up. You need to wake up." He was feeling as helpless as he did the day before when Toby first fell ill.

"Oz," Rachel could hear the desperation in his voice. "They'll figure it out," she reassured him.

Oz sat on the chair staring at his friend. _How would you know? Toby's the one that helps figure these things out. _He was getting frustrated.

"I know, they're trying to figure it out." Rubbing his head he watched her walk around the bed, slightly touching the end of the bed with her fingers.

Rachel stood by the window, looking outside. It was still early in the morning with the sky tinged pink and blue. She watched as the colors of the sky changed into a deep blue cloudless sky.

They made small talk for a short while. Rachel asked Oz many questions about his experience as a paramedic. She learned many things about their friendship.

The sun was shining brightly into the room. Oz watched the beams of light creep onto his friends face. The anticipation of Toby moving from the discomfort of the light shining so brightly in his eyes was shattered when he did nothing.

"Oz, he can't see it," Rachel said walking to his side.

"Yeah, I know," he stated. _Come on Toby, can you hear me? What is going on in your head? Why won't you wake up man? What do I do? It's not like I know someone else who can read minds. _Oz leaned back in a slump on the chair.

Rachel sat gently on the end of the bed near Toby's feet. Placing her hand on his ankle, she looked intently at his face.


	8. Chapter 8

Toby felt like he had walked around this unknown city for days, although the sun never set. It was still as bright as it was when he first arrived. The silence of the city felt unusual for Toby at first, then he began to enjoy having peace in his head. He could hear only his thoughts. There were no voices creeping into his head.

He continued to look for familiar faces, for someone who would respond to him. To his dismay, he had no responses. He felt lost in an unfamiliar area.

The silence was broken with a single word, _strawberries_. He could just barely hear the whisper. It was a female voice. Feeling excited, he looked around searching for the owner of the whisper.

As he asked the people around him if they heard the voice, he started to hear other voices. People walked around talking, but to no one. Toby stood still watching people walk past him, he could hear their voices now.

_Good, at least I can hear_. He joked with himself. "Ok, joke's over", he yelled. "Where am I?" He received a response of silence.

He continued walking, not knowing what else to do. No one would respond to him. The city he was in didn't seem like a city he'd ever been in or heard of. Now that he could hear the people around him, he wanted to get answers, but none came.

Eventually he decided to sit on a park bench. It was a park with no animals, he looked for birds, but found none. He didn't want to believe that this was his life now. That he was alone in a world of voices, but none speaking to him.

* * *

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Oz still sat in the chair next to Toby's bed. Waiting as patiently as he could for his friend to wake up.

"This doesn't seem real," he said. "This seems like a really bad dream. Someone needs to wake us up, whoever is dreaming this, wake up."

Rachel shifted her vision to Oz. She could tell how good of friends he and Toby must be. Oz was worried and frustrated.

"Oz," she started, "I know Toby's your best friend, but I have a strange question to ask you about him."

"What?" Oz nodded in response.

"Is there something unusual about Toby? You know, does he have any special gifts or something?" She shifted her weight at the foot of Toby's bed.

"What do you mean?" Oz knew the answer but didn't want to share with her. Looking intently at Toby, as to ask permission from Toby to talk about his telepathy. _Strawberries_. "I'm sorry, what about strawberries?" he asked looking at Rachel.

"Strawberries?" she said confused. "I said nothing about strawberries."

"Sure you did. There's no one else in the room. It had to be you." Oz began to wonder if he was going crazy. He knew he hear a female voice say the word 'strawberries.'

"No, really Oz, it wasn't me. I had asked you about Toby," Rachel stated getting up off the bed. She walked to the window, thinking. "Oz, I know you are aware of Toby's gift. That he's telepathic."

Oz was unsure how to respond to her. She must be a close friend of Toby's to know this. Toby had only told a few people about being able to read minds, she must be another one that he had told. Standing up, he walked near her.

"Do you think this has anything to do with what's wrong with him?" she asked gently.

"I didn't know you knew," he felt relaxed for some unusual reason. He didn't have to hid this information from her. "Liv thinks it could be related but no one really knows right now."

Rachel stared out the window, arms crossed in front of her. Sighing deeply, she turned and walked to the chair by Toby.

"Well, I think it is," speaking softly she sat in the chair. "Oz, I want to help him."

"Yeah, me to," Oz agreed. "I just don't know how to help him."

"I think I do."


	9. Chapter 9

"What do you mean?" Oz questioned her, waiting impatiently for her answer. "Why haven't you said anything before?"

"Well," she paused, "I'm not sure if I can help, but, I want to try." Looking at Toby she drew in a deep breath. Releasing the breath slowly, she turned to Oz. "I have a similar gift."

"Really?" Oz questioned, trying to hide the growing excitement. "You're telepathic?"

She nodded quietly looking at the floor. She knew that exposing herself like this had never gone well. She also knew that this was a completely different situation.

"Yeah."

"So," he paused, standing at the foot of Toby's bed. "What's he thinking?"

"I don't know. When I try, it's really confusing." She looked at Toby. "There's something going on, I just can't hear him." Shaking her head slightly she closed her eyes. "Alright Oz, there's a way for me to hear his thoughts, I just can't do it alone."

"What? Whatever it is, you need to help him."

Slowly she explained to him that when she has physical contact with someone she cannot block the other person's thoughts. That if she had physical contact with Toby she should be able to hear what's going on in his head. The issue with it was that she was not able to block any thoughts of the other person, or stop it. She worried that she wouldn't be able to break the connection. What if she got trapped in his mind with him?

After discussing this with Oz for several minutes, she realized that she needed to at least try. Together they decided that after a few minutes of contact Oz would make sure to break the physical contact between the two.

Moving the chair toward the bed, Rachel looked at Oz then at Toby.

"10 minutes," she said, "no more."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it."

Rachel placed her hand on Toby's, closed her eyes and waited.

Whispers surrounded Rachel. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the brightness around her. As she looked around the whispers became louder. The buildings around her were familiar, but she couldn't place where she was.

"Toby?" she called taking a few steps. There were people everywhere, walking aimlessly. She could hear their voices, but nothing they said made sense.

She began her search for Toby. Walking throughout the crowd, she called out Toby's name. Weaving between people she continued her search. The city around her still seemed familiar but she couldn't place it. She noticed there were no business names nor were there street signs. Her search for Toby continued. She felt like she had been walking for hours without any sign of Toby.

In the distance she could see a park and decided to take a break for a few minutes. "It's like finding a needle in a haystack," she whispered to herself as she headed toward a bench. Sitting down, she took in the surroundings. Looking for anything to help her figure out where she was. She could see the leaves on the trees moving, but the rustling sounds she anticipated were not found. The only noise she could hear were voices, hundreds of voices.

Rachel saw people walking aimlessly throughout the park, talking to themselves. There was a pond in the middle of the park looking as though the top of the water were a sheet of glass. Looking up, it was light but no sun or cloud cover.

Spotting another bench not too far away, she headed toward it. There was a man sitting on the bench, leaning on his elbows and rubbing his head. He looked frustrated but said nothing.

"Toby?" she called out as she got closer to the bench.

Hearing his name, Toby stood and looked around him.

"Toby!" Rachel exclaimed as she stopped in front of him. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"You can hear me?" Toby's eyes widened.

"Yes," she said with a smile. "I can hear you."

"Do you know what's going on here?" he paused. "Why won't people answer me?"

"I don't think they can hear you."

"So I take it, we're the only ones who can hear each other?"

"I think so. I haven't really tried to talk to anyone, I was looking for you." She sat on the bench hoping he would join her, which he did.

"Why were you looking for me?"

"Toby, you're sick. You're in the hospital, unconscious. No one understands why you won't wake up. I think something happened and you can't block everyone out anymore."

Watching her talk, he sized up the situation. He was in a town he didn't recognize. People were all over, people he didn't recognize. Only one person could hear him.

"If I'm unconscious, why are you here?"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that we find a way out for you. I think that you can't block out the voices anymore," she paused. "How did you block out the voices before?"

"Focusing," his blue eyes watched her intently.

"Have you tried doing that here?"

"Yes, it hasn't worked. Any suggestions?"

"Meditation maybe?" she leaned back on the bench. "Look Toby, this may sound weird, but I may leave abruptly, but I will be back."

"Leave?" he paused. "How can you leave? I haven't figured that out yet."

"I'll explain that later. For now we need to get started getting rid of this noise. It's giving me a headache." She smirked.

"Then let's get at it. Where do we start?"

"Meditation."


	10. Chapter 10

"Meditation," Toby sighed, "alright, let's get started." He leaned back on the bench. "Tell me what you do."

"Ok, close your eyes and relax. This is how I learned," she said tilting her head up. "Think about this park. The grass is a brilliant green and soft under your feet. Trees surround the area you're sitting in. You can see several paths leading into the surrounding trees. The water in the pond is calm, looking like glass." Pausing, she glanced around the park, seeing the additional trees she mentioned. "What do you hear?" she smiled slightly.

"Voices, hundreds of voices," Toby stayed focused as much as he could.

"Pick one voice, only one that you can hear. Tell me about it."

"It's a man talking about something. I can't tell what he's saying."

"Focus on making his voice quieter," she said quietly. "Focus on that voice only until you can't hear it."

After a few moments, Toby sighed deeply. He focused on the voice and his breathing. The voice of the man was slowly getting quieter, getting down to a whisper. Finally, disappearing.

Opening his eyes he saw his surroundings had changed slightly. There were more trees and new paths in the park.

"Well, that was interesting," he said under his breath. "This is gonna take a while."

"It's a start, I'm sure it will get easier," Rachel reassured him.

"Sure hope so," Toby closed his eyes drawing a deep breath. Toby found a new voice to focus on. It whispered about strawberries. She was upset, going on about not having strawberries and why wasn't her Jell-O not strawberry flavored? This was an easy voice for him to focus on. As he focused on her voice he continued to push it farther away from him until her voice was no longer heard.

"Rachel," Oz's voice was loud and caused Toby to lose focus. Opening his eyes he anticipated seeing Oz standing near him. To his surprise Oz stood by Rachel with his hand on her shoulder. "Rachel, time's up." He watched as they both faded.

Toby sat confused. He couldn't understand why he had all these other voices in his head but couldn't grasp the voices of his friends for long. He had heard them now and then, but never for more than a few seconds at a time. This time he could hear Oz _and _see him, but it hardly lasted before the pair disappeared.

Looking around the park he searched for a familiar face or voice. When none were found he went back to focusing one voice at a time.

* * *

><p>Rachel opened her eyes to the bright room. Toby lay looking peaceful on the bed.<p>

"Well?" Oz stared at here waiting impatiently for an answer. "Could you hear him?"

"What time is it?" Rachel sat confused. "That was a lot longer than ten minutes, Oz."

"What? No it was only ten minutes," he said pointing to the clock on the wall. "Come on, what's up with Toby?"

"That felt a lot longer than 10 minutes," she said in disbelief. "And, yes, I could hear him." Pausing, she stood up to stretch. "That felt more like a few hours." She tried to shake off the unsure feeling she had.

"Well?" Oz asked again moving to the foot of the bed. "What happened?"

"He seems to be overloaded with everyone's thoughts. At least that's what I'm guessing. It's kinda like a dream state, but not. I don't know how to explain it." Rachel felt overloaded herself. "We were able to get him to push out one voice. I'm hoping he's still working on that."

"One voice?" Oz questioned. "That's it? How many were there?"

"I don't know, hundreds." She walked toward the window. The sun was hiding behind a few clouds making it feel later in the day than it was.

"Hundreds?" he exclaimed. How could that be? Toby was always able to block things out.

They stood quietly in the room for a few minutes. Oz looking at Toby trying to come up with some way of understanding what was going on, and Rachel staring out the window.

"Ok," Rachel said. "I need to go back." She walked back to the chair next to Toby's bed. "I need to help him figure this out. This is just not right. I know there must be some reason for all this." She placed her hand atop of Toby's once again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted a new chapter on this. Unfortunately, reality got in the way. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I will try to get more out to complete the story as soon as I can. Thank you for your patience. :) **

Opening her eyes, Rachel took a moment to focus on her surroundings. She was back in the city of voices. She dreaded searching for Toby once again. She was hoping he was still at the park. It felt like she spent hours searching for him earlier.

Toby sat on the park bench listening to his surroundings. The voices seemed just as loud as they had earlier in his day. Focusing on several voices he worked at making them silent with meditation. The last one he focused on was a teenage boy. He had listened to him talk about the lady that came to talk with him. He was very descriptive and was glad to have the boy's voice silent. Removing one voice at a time hardly felt like it was making any difference. It felt like hours since Rachel had disappeared with Oz. He recalled her telling him that if she left that she would return, he was becoming doubtful of this.

It didn't take long for Rachel to find the park. Quickening her pace, she noticed Toby was still sitting on the bench.

"Toby," she said gently approaching from behind him, "I'm sorry I was gone for so long. I'm sure it felt like hours."

"What took you so long?" he questioned turning to face her. "I was beginning to wonder if you were coming back."

Walking around the bench, she sat next to him. "It really wasn't that long. I think it took me longer to get back to the park than when I was back with your friend."

"I feel like I'm going crazy," Toby said standing up. "It's taking too long to get rid of these voices." Shoving his hands in his jacket pockets, he began to pace. "And who are you anyway?" he abruptly asked. "How do I know you?"

"You don't Toby," she confessed glancing up at him. "I'm Rachel," she spoke in a soft voice.

"Why are you here?" he asked returning to the place next to her on the bench.

"You asked me to find you." Drawing in a deep breath she began to recall the last 24 hours to him. "Yesterday I heard you. You were yelling, you broke through. That hardly ever happens."

"What do you mean I was yelling?"

"That's what it sounded like. You kept repeating the same things, your name, that you were a paramedic, uh, where you were and a couple of names. Do you remember that?" Toby shook his head, unable to recall what she was telling him. "Anyway, you kept repeating yourself, over and over again. I'd say it was at least half an hour of this. You said that you knew someone could hear you. But you know," she paused. "You just stopped after a while. I couldn't hear anything from you." She looked at the pond, the water was as still as glass.

"How did you find me then?" he questioned.

"I listened. I walked around the hospital, listening to people. Eventually I found Dr. Fawcett and your friend Oz. They were talking about you. You have some great friends, you know that?"

"Yea, I'm pretty lucky."

"They don't trust me, except Oz. He does, I don't know why."

"He's a good guy with good instincts." Toby noticed sadness in her eyes. "Why would you help me? You don't know me."

"I couldn't, _not_ help you. Not hearing the desperation in your voice," she paused. "I'm sure you've helped someone for no apparent reason other than to help, haven't you?"

"Yea," Toby nodded. He knew exactly what she meant. There had been many times where he would help a total stranger, just because he could. "So now we need to figure out how to get me back to normal." Toby stood and turned to her. "You know, all these people I can hear, but there was one that I saw that wasn't saying anything."

Toby headed toward the crowded street. There seemed to be even more people than before. The park seemed to be the only place of solitude. Looking back, he saw Rachel following him.

"Where are you going?" she asked catching up with him.

"I need to check something out," he said continuing on his way. "None of this makes any sense. There has to be a reason for all of this." Toby walked through the crowd, increasing his pace as he avoided contact with the people.

Rachel tried to keep pace with him as he rushed through the strangers. People surrounded them, making her feel a little claustrophobic. She started to lose sight of Toby in the crowd as people wedged their way between the pair.

"Toby! Wait!"

Toby could barely hear her. Turning around he could no longer see her. The crowd had become thick with loud booming voices. Some were yelling, some whispering. None were able to help him figure out any of the mystery he was stuck in.

Rachel could no longer see what direction Toby was headed in. Panicking, she started to push her way through the crowd. To her surprise, people began to disappear. She stopped abruptly. _Was this all it_ _took_, she wondered. She pushed at a lady in a blue robe; she slowly dissipated, as if she were a cloud.

"Toby! I figured it out!" She yelled in excitement. "Toby?" she continued forward, working her way through the crowd as they disappeared. She had completely lost sight of him when she began to hear a voice she recognized.


	12. Chapter 12

As she worked her way through the crowd of people, she could hear the familiar voice of Oz. Rachel knew his voice now. She was focusing on the crowd now, not what Oz was saying, or rather thinking. She continued to push her way through the grouping of unfamiliar faces. Their voices were overwhelming to her. She knew she had to find Toby.

Hope was brought to her with the disappearance of each person. If felt as though she had been trudging through hundreds of people for hours, even if she knew logically it really hadn't been that long. The crowd began to dissipate. She saw Oz amongst the people standing by a building on her right. Curiously, she walked near him to see what he was saying.

It was difficult for her to understand what he was saying as his voice was muffled. She could make out only a few words; "brain damage", "tests" and "lunch." _Ok Oz, I'm trying, give me more time._ She thought to herself.

The air felt heavy and stale. Something was happening to what she thought of as the City of Voices. She knew she had to find Toby to let him know she'd solved his dilemma.

Walking away from the building she continued her search for Toby once again. The time dragged on for her. Continuing to push people out of Toby's head, she searched. She had given up on calling out his name some time ago. _How could he hear me over everyone else anyway? _She thought to herself.

The streets reminded her of the zombie movies she'd watched in the past. People were walking around without a destination. Blank stares on their faces. She half expected someone turn around to chase her. It was beginning to feel like a dream.

There was no way for her to know how long she had been searching for Toby. She knew the direction he was headed in when she was surrounded by the crowd a few hours ago, was she still headed in that direction? She could no longer tell. Feeling confused and exhausted she sat on the curb of a street.

"I just don't get it," she said to herself. "I know I was headed in the right direction. Where'd he go?" She didn't care that she was talking to herself. She knew this was the only conversation she would have until she found him. "Ok, we were in the crowd and he was headed that way," pointing to her left. "I went the right way. Maybe he took a different street when he reached that crossroad a while back."

Rubbing her forehead with her hands, she knew she couldn't give up. She had to continue to find him. She was just so tired and not feeling right. She needed to either find Toby or get out somehow. Where was Oz again? How could she tell him that she needed to get out?

"No! I can't give in. I know this isn't real. I have to find him!" Rachel stood up determined to continue searching for Toby. He was here somewhere, she'd found him once before, she could find him again.

With a renewed energy, she began to yell for Toby once again. She worked her way through more people, watching them disappear into a soft cloud of nothing. She was making progress. She could find him, she had to find him. There was no way out until Toby came out or Oz lifted her hand off Toby's.

Familiar voices surrounded her once again. She could hear Oz along with a few other voices that she didn't recognize. Knowing the inevitable was going to happen, she stopped her search. Rachel looked to find Oz in the crowd. He was nowhere to be seen, but his voice was getting louder and the other voices quieter.

"Rachel," Oz said, gently picking her hand up off Toby's.

Drawing in a deep breath, Rachel opened her eyes to see Michelle staring at her from the opposite side of Toby's bed. Her arms folded looking sternly at Rachel. Automatically, Rachel wondered if Oz had told her.

Dr. Fawcett walked into the room, followed by two orderlies and Dev. Rachel felt all eyes were on her, instead of Toby.

"Dr. Nessler requested more tests. The orderlies will in to take him now," Dr. Fawcett announced.

The room fell silent as the orderlies unhooked the sensors from their monitors and pushed Toby's bed out the door.

"So?" Oz blurted out at Rachel.

Unsure of how to answer him, Rachel looked at him with a confused look. She wasn't going to offer any information with everyone staring at her. She began to feel very self-conscious.

"It's ok," he reassured her, "they know what you were trying to do."

"Same as before," she quietly mumbled. "I'm not sure what to tell you." Glancing at the clock on the wall she realized why she felt light headed, it was well into the early afternoon now. "I didn't realize it was this late."

"You can tell us what's wrong with him." Michelle said abruptly. "And how do you know Toby anyway?"

Rachel had already explained this to Toby and knew that she would be questioned by his friends eventually. She had hoped it would be later, or even after he was better, but it was happening now. Stretching as she stood from the chair, she walked back to the window.

Rachel paused before responding to the question. Arms folded across her body she faced Olivia. She didn't have to read her mind to know what she was thinking.

"Well, no matter what answer I give you, you still won't trust me. I get it, you are all very protective of Toby. Just know that I'm not here to make things worse." Drawing her glance from one person to another, her glaze was drawn to the door where Toby exited with the orderlies a few minutes before. She thought of how he looked laying in the bed, silent, un-moving. This was not the Toby she'd begun to know in the City of Voices.

"Then why are you here?" Michelle asked slowly moving around the bed.

Feeling as though she was going to be interrogated by the IIB agent, Rachel took a small step back, bumping into the windowsill slightly. She knew it would be easy to know exactly what Michelle was wanting if she just listened to her thoughts, but she chose against it. Sometimes knowing what other people were thinking made things only worse.

"I just wanted to help," she said drawing in a deep yawn. She hadn't been with Toby for very long but it felt like it should have been the end of the day.

Raising his hand to her shoulder, Oz noticed how she had become defensive suddenly. "You ok?"

Nodding as she moved toward the door. "I'll come back later."

As Toby's friends watched her exit the room they turned their glance toward Oz.

"Come on, Oz, how does she know Toby?" Michelle asked him.

"I don't know," he responded. "I know she can hear him though. Something has to work."


End file.
